New working practices achieved during client occupation and business growth

Client

EY

Location

1 More London Place, London

size

380,000 sq ft

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MCM have enjoyed an open and creative relationship with EY for over a decade. During this period we have spanned a number of major team changes and addressed issues at both a strategic and operational level resulting in a HQ building that has:

Flexed to support a population that has grown from a headcount of approximately 3000 at move in to a building that currently supports a population of 5800 (March 09)

Achieved a sharing ratio of 1: 1.68 (workstation : headcount)

Enabled the in-house team to deliver accommodation cost reductions equivalent to 13% per desk and 26% per headcount over a 4 year period up to year end 08/09

The first major project undertaken with EY was the relocation of the London business from a portfolio of 11 buildings spread across central London into a new, 30,566sqm client facing building at No 1 More London.

One of the earliest activities undertaken by the project team was to agree the project aims against which the project team would evaluate the developing design and workplace offer and around which the user consultation plan could be framed. 6 key criteria were identified:

Fast, flexible, agile

Totally integrated with no barriers to learning

Truly client driven and account centric

Restless to innovate, embracing change

Value for money

In the last 18 months EY has moved every member of staff to flexible working, with an element of offsite or homeworking. Even administrative roles assume at least 1 day a week homeworking / off site working with many of the more mobile consultants being encouraged to use the building for colleague or client collaboration rather than solo working.

Clear worker profiles now provide a model for allocating space to teams and to building an appropriate workplace offer to meet the needs of the different user & team types. Working floors have been adapted to create collaboration zones, social zones, touchdown zones and quiet zones.

Our workplace model has driven change throughout their regional offices and we have applied to other central London buildings.

EY relevant project elements:

Development of new working practices for EY and achieving buy-in by senior team to move from a cellular to an open plan model

Organisation-wide consultation to engage the organisation with the project objectives and support the Change Management journey

Continuing support to EY to ensure best utilisation of More London over time and during a period of accelerated growth.

Greatest Value Contribution

Delivering new working practices to suit EY’s consultancy model

Providing a communications framework to achieve a seamless occupation of their new premises

Dramatically improving staff morale and workplace satisfaction

Continuing to work with the EY property team to ensure the quality of the workplace has been protected as the building was utilised more intensivel

Delivered to cost and programme and providing a planning model that has allowed EY to reduce per head accommodation costs by over 30% over 4 / 5 years

Key to the successful delivery of the project was MCM’s ability engage with the multiple communities in EY. The team worked hard to engage with all groups to achieve a project aim of using the move to unify the organisation.